Animals

Animals

Wild, extinct, domesticated, endangered - the animal kingdom is filled with creatures of exotic shapes and sizes, making them a firm favourite for curious minds and fact finders of all ages. Here you can find a menagerie of animal facts and pictures of the wonderful beasts that walk the earth, the birds that soar through the sky and the sea creatures that swim through the vast oceans of our Earth.

Why you're probably stroking your cat completely wrong (and how to do it right)

Fun fact: your cat probably hates the way you're currently petting them.
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Which animal has the sharpest teeth?

This sharp-toothed creature was similar to an eel and lived 500 to 200 million years ago
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What's the most painful insect sting?

Meet the insect with the most painful sting in the world
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10 simple ways to keep your dogs safe and happy during a heatwave

Pro tips to keep your furry friend cool when it’s hot outside.
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Mosquitoes are set to get more dangerous in the UK and US. Here’s why

“It’s not a case of ‘if’, but ‘when’,” says a professor who specialises in pest-borne diseases
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Killer whales filmed using tools for the first time – and scientists are stunned

Fancy a scrub?
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This 80-million-year-old shark species is a biological mystery

Meet the frilled shark, one of nature's weirdest creatures
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What is the deadliest creature in the UK?

Man’s best friend? Yeah, right.
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What makes tardigrades so indestructible?

Scientists are beginning to understand what makes tardigrades (otherwise known as 'water bears') so indestructible
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Can seagulls really get drunk on flying ants?

Gorging on flying ants could make seagulls appear to act drunk, thanks to formic acid - which is toxic to birds
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Science wants you to share more adorable pet photos. Here’s why

It's official: the internet needs more pictures of cats with bread on their head
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Polar bears are being poisoned by mercury dumped a century ago

Toxic tides are delivering the dangerous pollutant to animals and people at the top of the world
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We’re replacing babies with dogs. And it could be making us happier

While fertility rates in the developed world are falling, more and more of us are choosing to parent pooches
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This bizarre shrinking frog is breaking nature's biggest rules

How can a frog get smaller as it grows up?
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These extremely rare videos show sharks feeding together

Two different species of shark peacefully nom on their decaying lunch
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Humpback whales keep bumping into things because they're shortsighted, claims study

The whales can't make out fine details until they're up close and personal
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Nature's cutest maniac: Why this (very adorable) sea slug eats sunlight for breakfast

Get to know all about the Costasiella kuroshimae - the leaf sheep sea slug
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Scientists finally solve bizarre 40-year-old sea monster mystery

This creature was unlike anything scientists had seen before. Now we know what it was
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All humans emit subtle light until they die, study suggests

You are glowing – no, really
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The mystery of this 10,000-dinosaur graveyard may have just been solved

Buried in the forests of Alberta, Canada, lies one of the densest dinosaur bone beds ever found
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The top 22 most ugly animals in the world, in pictures

Not all creatures can be beautiful, but they all have interesting stories to tell
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Why is my dog scooting?

Here's what your dog is trying to tell you when it's rubbing its bum across the ground.
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Ginger cats are genetic freaks, confirms science

On top of being certified agents of chaos, orange cats are now officially DNA weirdos
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What's the craziest thing ever stolen?

From bull semen to a commercial airliner, it doesn't get much weirder than this
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